Category Archives: Books (incl.Biographies – w.e.f.01 jan 2018 )

New book focuses on caste system among Muslims

Books (incl.Biographies - w.e.f.01 jan 2018 ), Community Involvement / Social Issues, Education, Karnataka (under research project), Leaders, , , , , ,

Shirva (Udupi District) / Mysuru, KARNATAKA :

Muzaffar Assadi’s book examines the ways in which the social space was documented during colonial times

The cover of the book written by Muzaffar Assadi.  

Muzaffar Assadi, professor of political science in the University of Mysore, has brought out a new book on caste among Muslims, a relatively unexplored area.

In the book Alpasankyakaru Mattu Jati Vyavaste: Asmite, Vasahatushahi Mattu Meesalati (Minorities and Caste System: Identity, Colonialism and Reservation), the author argues that Islam, one of the semitic religions known for its established rules and framework, is now tested against the remnants of caste practices.

Multiple factors

The book, which runs into 264 pages and is published by Bengaluru-based Bahuroopi, explores practices of caste that are not just the result of conversion but inherent in the logic of trade, the class interest of retaining property, social mobility from Central Asia, social identity, and political expansionism.

The author says that colonialism, while documenting various castes, did make a distinction between Hindu social order and Muslim social order. In the latter case, social space for internal mobility, spaces for enlisting as ‘Ashrafs’ (Sheikh, Sayyed), and for continuing traditional occupation was available. And social hierarchy and social distancing continued to perpetuate.

Noting that colonialism created new castes, Prof. Assadi pointed out that the larger agenda of documenting, enlisting caste was ultimately meant to hegemonise, control, and dominate. The book focuses significantly on the way Muslims became subaltern classes during the colonial rule.

“With the experience derived from colonial encounters, Indian Muslims were castigated and condemned again and again for their social backwardness. This was backed by enlisting hundreds of castes among Muslims, although enlisting remained incomplete,” the author argues.

Post-Independence

The legacy continued after the Independence with reports on backward classes/ethnographic studies identifying and enlisting social groups, known for practising caste. “This culminated in identity politics, demand for affirmative action and reservation policy,” Prof. Assadi notes.

The author painstakingly unearths issues of caste among Muslims by referring to material from history, including the colonial census reports, gazetteer, travelogues, missionary works, police records and writings of Muslim scholars. The book comes at a time when there is a demand to re-enumerate castes and a growing urge for enhanced reservation.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Karnataka / by Naghesh Prabhu / Bengaluru – November 28th, 2021

Assam’s legal luminary Abdul Muhib Mazumder dies at 89

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Hailakandi / Guwahati, ASSAM :

Abdul Muhib Mazumder

Guwahati :

Abdul Muhib Mazumder, former Law Minister of Assam, breathed his last at the wee hours of Wednesday. He was suffering from old age ailments. Mazumder was born in Hailakandi town of Assam on August 20, 1932. His father, Abdul Matlib Mazumder, was a leading freedom fighter and a Cabinet Minister of Assam during 1946-1970.

After studying at Government Victoria Memorial High School in Hailakandi he obtained his B Sc (Hons) degree from Cotton College, Guwahati, and his MA and LLB from Aligarh Muslim University. While in college and university, he was an outstanding debater and won many awards in debating competitions. He married Alamara Mazumder on June 3, 1962 and had three daughters.

Mazumder was a Senior Advocate of Gauhati High Court as well as the Supreme Court of India. He initially worked with Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed, former President of India and a senior lawyer of Gauhati High Court, and Jagadish Medhi, a leading legal authority. He was Senior Government Advocate for several years. He was also a Lecturer in Economics and Political Science at Pragjyotish College, Guwahati (1956-1961) and at Gauhati University Law College (1961-1980).

He became Advocate General of Assam in 1980 and served in that capacity up to 1983. Later, he also served as the Advocate General of Arunachal Pradesh (1991-1996).

Mazumder entered politics in 1970s and represented LA-6 Hailakandi four times as Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA), during 1983-1991, 1996-2001 and 2011-2016. Incidentally, the same constituency had been represented by his father from 1946 to 1972. He became a Cabinet Minister of Assam in 1983 in the Congress Ministry headed by Hiteswar Saikia looking after law, power and municipal administration departments till 1985.

Abdul Muhib Mazumder (3rd from left) at the launch of his autobiography in Guwahati on July 29, 2016. Harsh Mander, Hafiz Rashid Ahmed Choudhury, and Justice Aftab Hussain Saikia are 4th, 5th, and 7th from left in the photograph. (File Photo)

In 1990s, Mazumder formed a new party called UPPA (United Peoples Party of Assam) and again became a Cabinet Minister of Assam in 1996 in the AGP-led coalition ministry headed by Prafulla Kumar Mahanta, looking after irrigation department till 2001. Subsequently he disbanded UPPA and became the President of Samajwadi Party in Assam. Later he came back to Congress. Mazumder was Deputy Leader of Opposition (1986-1991) and formerly Vice Chairman, State Planning Board of Assam. Other posts held by him were Member, State Security Commission; Member, AICC; Vice President APCC; Chairman APCC Minority Cell; and Adviser Minority Department of APCC among others.

Among his landmark cases was his defence of the late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi against her prosecution by the Tirkha Commission in 1977-78 in the High Court. Two other landmarks in his career were drafting of the IMDT Act (Illegal Migrants Determination by Tribunal Act) 1983 and Assam Accord 1985 as the then Law Minister of Assam.

Mazumder’s autobiography, Down the memory Lane, was published in four volumes. At one of the launches of the autobiography in Guwahati on July 29, 2016, Harsh Mander, then Director of Centre for Equity Studies & Special Commissioner to the Supreme Court of India in the Right to Food Case, was the chief guest. Interestingly, all the legal stalwarts on the dais that day including Justice Aftab Hussain Saikia, former Chief Justice of the J&K High Court, happened to be all his students at one time or the other.

Commenting on the demise of Mazumder, Hafiz Rashid Ahmed Choudhury, Chairman of the Bar Council of Assam, Nagaland, Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh, & Sikkim, said, “Many successful lawyers of today learnt their ABCD of law under the guidance of Abdul Muhib Mazumder. Whenever any lawyer went to him for guidance, he was always ready to help them. His absence will be felt by everyone connected in any way with the legal process in the region.”

source: http://www.muslimmirror.com / Muslim Mirror / Home> Indian Muslim / by Nurul Islam Laskar / November 03rd, 2021

Tongue of pearls: Mutribi al-Asamm Samarqandi’s ‘Conversations with Emperor Jahangir’

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DELHI :

Emperor Jahangir’s inquisitive mind is revealed in his conversations with Mutribi al-Asamm Samarqandi

The 18 decades of the Great Mughals (1526-1707) produced some first-rate literature.

Many fine books came from the rulers themselves, steeped in a tradition of high culture that required them to be literate. The Baburnama, the first memoir/ autobiography of the subcontinent, is as readable today and as modestly written as Julius Caesar’s books (Cicero said of Caesar’s prose that it is unadorned, like a classical statue). The Tuzuk of Jahangir is filled with bombast, vanity and anger, but it is so honest and has so much detail, particularly on the side of his interests as a naturalist, that it is a work of the highest order.

And then there are the works that are smaller but sparkling, like little jewels. One such is the life of Humayun by his sister, Babur’s daughter and Akbar’s aunt, Gulbadan Begum. Written in Persian, as opposed to the Chagatai Turk that Babur wrote in, it is clear and direct, and as thorough a portrayal of Babur and Humayun as what they produced themselves. The story we know of Babur circumambulating the bed of a very ill Humayun and asking, in pagan fashion, to be taken instead of him, is from her book.

Courtly manners

The work we are looking at this time is from a lesser noble, a traveller from Samarqand called Mutribi al-Asamm, who spent time in Jahangir’s court. It is available in translation as Conversations with Emperor Jahangir. The Mughals loved having people over from their ancestral lands, which they would never see again, and lavished them with gifts and honours. Mutribi came to India (Jahangir was based in Lahore) roughly 400 years ago in 1627, when he was 70 and the emperor 58, only a few months away from his death.

Mutribi’s writing reveals a lot about the flowery manner of the court. He visits Jahangir a month after arriving in India and the emperor asks why he has waited this long. Mutribi refers to himself in the text as the “incompetent narrator” and Jahangir as possessing “a tongue of pearls”. At that first meeting, Jahangir gives him a thousand rupees and Noor Jahan (“may her chastity be preserved”) another five hundred, possibly the equivalent of crores in our time.

At their next meeting, Jahangir inquires about the hue of the black stone from which his ancestor Timur’s sepulchre is made in Samarqand. The emperor produces stones which Mutribi compares unfavourably to the original (“it is so bright you can see your face in it”).

Lord bountiful

The transactional manner of the exchanges is apparent from another meeting in which Jahangir asks Mutribi which of the Iraqi thoroughbred horses on display he would like to be given. Mutribi says, “whichever is more expensive,” possibly to make the emperor feel that he is being generous rather than his supplicant greedy. Again, when Jahangir offers him a choice of saddle — velvet or broadcloth — the answer is velvet, because it is more expensive. Jahangir says velvet gets wet easily, to which Mutribi says that the monsoon is far off. The two meet 24 times in two months before Mutribi returns. Towards the end, the following conversation is held:

“The pleasantness of Samarqand was being discussed. The Emperor asked me, ‘Is Samarqand spelled with a ‘q’ or with a ‘k’?’

‘Either way is correct,’ I replied. ‘In Tabari’s history and several other books it is referred to as Samarkand, but in popular usage it has become known as Samarqand. Some say that the name comes from Samar and Qamar, two slaves of Alexander the Great who built the city which was then named for them. Their graves are situated in the main market square of Samarqand.”’

Then Jahangir inquires about an ancestral tomb, asking how much it requires to be maintained. ‘“If you want to do it properly, 10,000 rupees,’ I [Mutribi] said, ‘otherwise 5,000 rupees just to keep it going.’

‘If 10,000 rupees will maintain it,’ he said, ‘then we have decided that in accordance with your information we will send 10,000 rupees, in order that that blessed station be maintained.’

I said, ‘O God, as long as the Sun and the Moon shall be, may Jahangir son of Akbar remain King.’”

Aakar Patel is a columnist and translator of Urdu and Gujarati non-fiction works.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Books / by Aakar Patel / November 13th, 2021

Ornithologist Salim Ali’s Forgotten Radio-casts Now Come ‘Alive’ in Book

Books (incl.Biographies - w.e.f.01 jan 2018 ), Community Involvement / Social Issues, Green Products, Leaders, Travel & Tourism, World Opinion, , , , , , , , , , , ,

Mumbai, MAHARASHTRA :

Ornithologist Dr. Salim Ali’s forgotten radio-casts now come ‘alive’ in a book. /
In memory of Ornithologist Dr Salim Moizuddin Ali.

Dr Salim Moizuddin A. Ali (November 12, 1896-June 20, 1987) was the first Indian to conduct systematic bird surveys across undivided India and even later, and then penned several bird books which popularised ornithology in the sub-continent.

Mumbai :

In a unique initiative, the forgotten radio broadcasts of legendary ornithologist, the late Dr Salim Ali have been compiled and brought ‘alive’ in a book form, which will be released on November 12, marking the 125th birth anniversary of the ‘Birdman of India’.

Dr Salim Moizuddin A. Ali (November 12, 1896-June 20, 1987) was the first Indian to conduct systematic bird surveys across undivided India and even later, and then penned several bird books which popularised ornithology in the sub-continent.

The book — “Words For Birds” — edited by renowned author Tara Gandhi, comprises all the 35 broadcasts of Dr Ali on All India Radio (AIR) — from British India to Independent 1980s — probably unheard of by most people in the current century.

“I had worked with Dr Salim Ali for long… I have even worked on his other papers and documents and I came across these broadcasts that are well-preserved by BNHS,” the book editor Gandhi told IANS briefly, as the book awaits official release.

It will be unveiled as part of the ongoing 125th birth anniversary celebrations of the great ornithologist conferred with the Padma Vibhushan (1976), at the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS, founded 1883), said Education Officer Raju Kasambe.

The 35 talks that comprise “Words For Birds” were broadcast over 45 years, between 1941-1985, revealing Dr Ali’s exceptional skills both as an oral communicator and a passionate bird propagandist.

“The object of these talks is really to interest listeners, in the first instance for the healthy pleasure and satisfaction bird watching affords rather than for its intrinsic scientific possibilities,” the ornithologist had said of his radio transmissions.

The enthralling radiocasts, in a story-telling style, cover a wide range — bird habits and habitats, risks they face, the crucial role of avian in nature’s cyclic processes, how they benefit agriculture, unseen or little understood contributions to the economy, etc.

On his passion, Dr Ali said how 50 years ago bird watching in India was nowhere as popular, or indeed respectable, as it has become now, and in his younger days he would time and again fall in with persons who left him with a feeling, as they withdrew, that they were inwardly tapping a pitying finger on their foreheads.

“Their first glimpse of me very often was, it is true, of a distinctly shabby khaki-clad individual of the garage mechanic type, wandering leisurely and rather aimlessly about the countryside and surreptitiously peeping into bushes, and holes in tree-trunks and earth banks…” said the legend modestly.

Though he had focussed mainly on birds in his radio talks, it is evident that he was interested in all forms of wildlife and contemporary conservation issues, too, with each talk reading like a short essay, and the reader can even glance randomly through it to be immensely educated and entertained.

Dr Ali’s best-sellers from his massive collection include “Book Of Indian Birds” and the monumental 10-volume “Handbook of the Birds of India and Pakistan” (co-authored with S. Dillon Ripley), “The Birds of Kutch”, “Indian Hill Birds”, “Birds of Kerala”, “The Birds of Sikkim”, and his autobiography, “The Fall of a Sparrow”.

The book editor Gandhi was guided by Dr Ali for MSc (Field Ornithology), and she works for biodiversity conservation, conducts surveys to document birds and other wildlife in India.

Besides scientific and popular articles on nature and ecology, she has penned several books like “Birds, Wild Animals and Agriculture: Conflict and Coexistence in India” and edited the two-volume “A Bird’s Eye View: The Collected Essays and Shorter Writings of Salim Ali”.

Published by Black Kite and Hachette, “Words For Birds” (256 pg/Rs.599) will soon be available from BNHS and Amazon platforms. — IANS

source: http://www.clarionindia.net / Clarion India / Home> India> Life> Books / November 05th, 2021

Winners Of Dasara And Rajyotsava – Kavya Puraskar And Katha Puraskar

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Books (incl.Biographies - w.e.f.01 jan 2018 ), Karnataka (under research project), Women/Girls(since May26-2021), , ,

Mysuru (Mysore), KARNATAKA :

A total of 24 poets including four Horanadu Kannadigas and a specially abled have been selected for State-level Dasara and Rajyotsava Kavya Puraskar in the State-level Poetry Contest organised by Akhila Bharatiya Kannada Sahitya haagu Samskrutika Parishat and Gramantara Buddhijeevigala Balaga.

They are as follows:

Horanadu Kannadigas Category:

Seema Kulkarni (Malaysia), S. Nalina Prasad (Mumbai), Ramana Shetty Renjal (Maharashtra) and Divakar   Ballal (Kasargod).

Poetess Category:

Renuka Kodaganji (Bengaluru), Leela-kumari Todikyana (Kodagu), Vasanta Surendranath (Magadi), Divyaja (Bengaluru), Asif Begaum (Kolar), P. Veena (Harihar), Dr. Gurudevi Hulleppanavar Mutt (Belagavi), Indira Shetty (Mysuru) and Nandana P. Shetty     (Dakshina Kannada).

Poets Category:

K. Raveesh M.C. Halli (Chikkamagalur), Pradeep Soranagadde (Shivamogga), Raghuveer Mahalingapura (Bagalkot), D.M. Bhatta Kulave (Uttara Kannada), Dr. K.C. Chandrapakash (Tumakuru), K.T. Adarsh Kappadur (Shivamogga), D.P. Chikkanna (Mandya), M. Shivanna (Hassan) and B. Vijaykumar (Udupi).

Specially Abled Poets:

Poornima Hanumantappa Badigeri (Hassan).

Senior writer and columnist from Belagavi Y.M. Menasinakai and senior writer and social worker from Hassan Jayashri D. Krishna were the jury.

P.A. Meghashree from Kasargod has been selected for the State-level Kavya Puraskar given by Balaga President and journalist Dr. Berya Ramakumar and H.N. Savita couple in the name of their son late B.R. Ullas.

Katha Puraskar

A total of 13 members including two Horanadu Kannadigas and a specially abled have been selected for Dr. K. Shivaram Karanth Katha Puraskar in the State-level Story Contest organised as part of the 120th birth anniversary of Jnanapith Awardee Dr. K. Shivaram Karanth.

Horanadu Kannadigas:

Karunakara S. Shetty (Maharashtra) and Sharada A. Anchan (Navi Mumbai).

Women Writers:

Divya Jagadish (Bengaluru), Sahana Kantabailu (Kodagu), S.L. Varalakshmi Manjunath (Nanjangud), B.R. Nagaratna (Mysuru), Hanchettira Fansy Muttanna (Kodagu) and Prof. Vidyareddy (Belagavi).

Men Writers:

K.G. Bhadrannanavar (Tumakuru), Y.M. Raghunandan (Mysuru), B. Kantappa (Bhadravati) and S.G. Shivashankar (Mysuru).

Specially Abled Writers:

Bandihole Manjunath (Mandya).

Senior writer couple from Mysuru – K. Ramesh and Dr. S. Sudha and senior writer and columnist from Mumbai Dr. G.D. Joshi were the jury.

Both Kavya Puraskar and Katha Puraskar will be presented to the winners during the Sahityotsava to be held in the month of November, according to a press release.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> News / October 25th, 2021

Fathima Asla — specially-abled doctor from Kerala winning wheels of life

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Kozhikode, KERALA :

Kozhikode-native Dr Fathima Asla is fearless in her persuit. Battling disability, she became a doctor, and she found a groom in Firoz Nediyath, who gave her a wheelchair as wedding gift

Dr Fathima Asla and Firoz Nediyath

Kochi : 

For the past couple of years, dowry and dowry-related atrocioties has been the topic of discussion in Kerala. The fact that women are to be valued more than the gold and money their family can shell out, is being addressed on a large scale. This is why the wedding of Dr Fathima Asla and Firoz Nediyath is relevant at this point.

Kozhikode native Fathima has been struggling with brittle bone disease since she was a kid. For her wedding, her husband Firoz gave her a wheelchair as wedding gift — a gesture that would go a long way in terms of empowering those who dare to dream above their disabilities. 

For Fathima, Paathu as she is lovingly called, the battle began just three days after she was born. However, being diagnosed with Osteogenesis Imperfecta or brittle bone disease didn’t stop her. Her parents, though financially struggling, encouraged her to study and helped her become a doctor.

“I was fascinated with doctors because they have helped me since I was a kid. I wanted to be like them, help those like me,” says the house surgen at ANSS Homeo Medical College hospital, Kottayam. Fathima is 65 per cent disable, and had undergone six surgeries as a kid. She can walk very short distances now with the help of a walker. She also penned a book ‘Nilavupole Chirikkunna Penkutty’, an autobiography that discusses her life as a differently abled person. 

Fathima met Firoz — a digital artist and MFA student at Fine Arts college, Thiruvananthapuram who hails from Lakshadweep — last year through a mutual friend. They fell head over heels for each other. “Our parents were very supportive of the relationship too, which was delightful. Everyone wants to feel loved and respected by their partners. Firoz doesn’t treat me with pity or sympathy. Rather, he sees me as an equal, someone who can dream and do things just like him. Wahtever little insecurity I was harbouring about myself before meeting Firoz is gone now. I want to go on an all-India trip with my new authomatic wheel chair,” quips Fathima.

The couple’s love bloomed during Covid. Firoz adds how the wedding was also a message to the society. “I want to tell everyone to be that person supporting specially disabled people to live their life to the fullest. It is not about sympathising with them, but enabling and encouraging them,” says the youngster. 

Firoz also also talks about how travelling with Fathima has made him realise how our public spaces are non-disabled friendly. “We boarded a bus from Nilambur to Kozhikode. The bus’s foot board was not disabled friendly. When I was carrying her into the halted bus, other vehicles would honk loudly behind the bus. I doubt how many of educational institutions and tourist locations have disabled-friendly toilets and ramps.

Lack of these spaces makes specially-abled people isolate themselves,” he says. Fathima adds that her vision in life is to address these issues and make Malayalis more sensitive to these aspects. “We have launched a new YouTube channel ‘Kadalum Nilavum’ which will feature our travel vlogs and thoughts about making our society disabled friendly,” signs off Fathima.  

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Good News / by Arya LK, Express News Service / Octobter 22nd, 2021

Remembering Majaz Lakhnavi, the Keats of Urdu poetry

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Rudauli (British India / Lucknow, UTTAR PRADESH :

Majaz, uncle of lyricist Javed Akhtar, was one of those rare gems whose poetry reflected two most important aspects: romance and revolution.

Born in Rudauli (then in Barabanki, UP) during Diwali celebrations, he was named Asrarul Haque and later took up the name ‘Majaz Lakhnavi’. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)

Two days ago, a nazm reverberated across Aligarh Muslim University as the institution celebrated its founder’s day on October 17. Alumni across the globe, who proudly address themselves as ‘Alig’, sang: Ye Mera Chaman, Ye Mera Chaman.

The author of this famous nazm, Asrarul Haque, popularly known as ‘Majaz Lakhnavi’, whose poetry still rules the heart of millions, was born on October 19, 1911.

Regarded as the Keats of Urdu poetry, Majaz was one of those rare gems whose poetry reflected two most important aspects: romance and revolution. In an era when legendary Urdu poets as Faiz, Jazbi, Sardar Jafri, Sahir Ludhiyanvi were in their prime, Majaz rose to fame and carved a niche for himself.

Born in Rudauli (then in Barabanki, UP) during Diwali celebrations, he was named Asrarul Haque and later took up the name ‘Majaz Lakhnavi’. He belonged to a zamindar family. At a young age, Majaz had an inclination towards Urdu poetry. His fame came when he reached AMU as a student where he got the company of literary legends as Ali Sardar Jafri, Ismat Chugtai, and others. During one of the mushairas, Majaz, dressed in sherwani, delivered his famous poem:

Khoob Pehchan lo Asrar Hoon Main,
Jinse-Ulfat ka talabghar hoon, Main,
Ishq hi Ishq hai Duniya Meri,
Fitna-e-Aql se Bezar hoon Main,
Ek Lapakta ho Shola ho, Ek Chalti Hui Talwar Hoon Main.

The audience was mesmerised; the silence established that Majaz had arrived on the scene. There was no looking back. Majaz gave his alma mater a famous nazm, which is now the university tarana (anthem).

Majaz’s popularity rose by leaps and bounds and there were more females than males among his admirers. At AMU, girls used to keep his book ‘Aahang’ beneath their pillows. They would commit to keeping ‘Majaz’ as the name of their children.

Himanshu Bajpai, Daastango, who has rendered several daastans on Majaz, recalls one incident: “Once, Ismat Chugtai told Majaz that girls love him and Majaz quickly replied, ‘And they marry a rich person’.”

Truly, Majaz had a failed love life, and the dejection got him admitted to a mental asylum at Ranchi. His addiction to liquor took its toll. Chugtai asked him, “Liquor or wine, who destroyed your life, Majaz?” Witty and humorous as always, he replied, “I have given this right to both of them.”

His poem Awara was also an instant hit.

Shahar ki raat aur main naashaad o nakara phirun
Jagmagati jagti sadko pe awara phirun
Ghair ki basti hai kab tak dar-badar maara phurin
Ai Gham-e-Dil kya karun, Ai Vahshat-e-Dil kya karun.

Majaz had recited this nazm on the request of people at White Baradari in Lucknow, which eventually turned out to be his last public gathering before his demise.

His poetry, as said earlier, had both romance and revolution. Some of his lines for women empowerment are still relevant.

Tere Mathe pe ye anchal bahut hi khub hai lekin,
Tu is aanchal se ek parcham bana leti toh achcha tha.

Bajpai narrates an incident: “Once, famous film actress Nargis came to meet Majaz. She requested for his autograph and Majaz obliged by writing the above lines on her white dupatta. He identified himself with every deprived person — perhaps this brought him closer to the progressive movement.” In his poetry, Majaz had raised the issues of women liberation and feminism, which are still discussed today.

Majaz’s revolutionary couplets, too, ruled the masses. While other poets raised the pitch in their revolutionary couplets, Majaz rendered his lines that could be sung with revolution. ‘Bol, Ari O Dharti Bol, Raj Sinhasan Daanwa Dol‘ is one such poem. It is simply unbelievable to see anyone write on the worldly intricacies so beautifully — ‘Bahut Mushkil hai Duniya ka Sanwarna, Teri Zulfo ka Pencho Kham nahi Hai‘.

Alas, Majaz remained a loner. Josh Malihabadi even advised him to keep a ghadi (watch) with him while drinking, but Majaz laughed it off, saying, “You drink keeping a ghadi, I drink keeping a ghada (pitcher).”

In December 1955, his end came abruptly, after he collapsed in Lucknow, and passed away before reaching Balrampur Hospital. The present generation may recall him as the uncle of Bollywood lyricist Javed Akhtar.

The poet, whose kingdom was in the hearts of millions, is buried in a six-feet grave at Nishatganj graveyard with his own lines from a nazm on the epitaph.

Ab iske baad subah hai aur subah-e-Nau Majaz
Ham par hai khatm Sham-e-Gareebaan-e-Lucknow

source: http://www.indianexpress.com / The Indian Express / Home> Books & Literature / by Faisal Fareed, New Delhi / October 19th, 2021

Former Kerala Jamaat-e-Islami Hind President Expires

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Kozhikode, KERALA :

Former Kerala Jamaat-e-Islami Hind President T K Abdullah.

Kozhikode :

Former president of the Kerala Jamaat-e-Islami Hind (JIH),T K Abdullah, passed away today at the age of 92.

He is survived by his wife Kunjamina, sons TK Farooq and TK Iqbal, and daughter Sajida.

A senior Islamic scholar, he was a member of JIH’s Markazi Majlis-e-Shoora, or the Central Advisory Council, the top decision-making body of the Jamaat, from 1972 till now. He was also a member of the Kerala JIH’s State Advisory Council.

A founder member of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB), he was JIH’s state president from 1972 to 79 and from 1982 to 1984. 

He was also a state executive member of the Ittihadul Ulema.

Abdullah sahib was also the Chief Editor of Islamic Encyclopaedia that Islamic Publishing House, Kozhikode, is publishing.

He was born to a great Islamic scholar Tharakandi Abdurrahman sahib, and Fatima, in 1929 in village Ayencheri in Kozhikode district. 

Abdullah sahib obtained his early education at Vazhakadu Darul Uloom, Thirurangadi Jumma Masjid, Pulikkal Madinathul Uloom and Aliya Arabic College, Kasargod.

He joined Prabodhanam in 1950 and became its deputy chief editor in 1959. When Prabodhanam became a weekly in 1964, he was appointed its first Chief Editor and continued in the same position till 1995.

He, later on, joined the JIH Kerala mouthpiece Bodhanam quarterly journal as the Chief Editor.

When the government banned the Jamaat in 1992 after the demolition of the Babri Masjid, Abdullah sahib was imprisoned along with many other JIH leaders. 

He also helped translate two volumes of Maulana Maududi’s Tafhim-ul-Quran (explanation of the Quran) from Urdu to Malayalam. Besides, he wrote several books, including Nazhikakallukal (Mile Stones) and Iqbaline Kandethal (Finding Iqbal).

In addition, his autobiography was published by the name “Nadannu Theeratha Vazhikal”.

Many of his speeches, articles, and sermons were compiled and published.

source: http://www.indiatomorrow.net / India Tomorrow / Home> Inspiring Personality / October 15th, 2021

Urdu activist Qayyum Nadvi’s low-cost library idea stuns delegates of international library conference

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Books (incl.Biographies - w.e.f.01 jan 2018 ), Community Involvement / Social Issues, Leaders, Women/Girls(since May26-2021), ,

Aurangabad, MAHARASHTRA :

Gulbarga ( Karnataka) :

At an international library conference, noted Aurangabad based Urdu activist and President of Read and Lead Foundation, Mirza Abdul Qayyum Nadvi has stunned the library experts by presenting the idea of low-cost library scheme which he  called as “Micro Library, Micro Funding”.

He was speaking at  the two-day International Conference on  “Visualizing Librarianship in the 21th century’, Connecting Minds and Creating Future,”  held at the Gulbarga University here.

 Sharing his experiences, Mirza Nadvi said merely a budget of Rs. 10,000/ is quite enough  to set up a well-equipped  Mohalla library  with useful informative  books for children  which can be opened at housing societies, complexes, schools,  and religious places. From where he got this idea, he said his school going daughter Maryam Mirza’s dreamt of opening a Mohalla Library for children in his locality who were killing their time during the last lockdown.  He realized his daughter’s dream and opened the first library in his own locality in the historic Aurangabad city. Now this experiment has caught the imagination of book-loving people and inspired others to follow the suit. Mirza Nadvi highlighted the efforts of his daughter Maryam Mirza who became a pioneer in the country to launch Mohalla Libraries for children.

She launched the first children’s neighborhood library with her own 300 books and in a short span of just eight months, 19 neighborhood libraries have sprung up in the city, he said. The participants of the conference lauded and praised Maryam for her movement.

Mirza Nadvi was especially invited by the Indian Library Association, Delhi to address the conference. It was 66th annual conference of the Indian Library Association organized in collaboration with Gulbarga University and other organizations. The Conference assured Mirza Nadvi of all help in his daughter’s mission of spreading knowledge through libraries.  

source: http://www. muslimmirror.com / Muslim Mirror / Home> Exclusive Reports> Indian Muslim> Media / by Special Correspondent / October 01st, 2021

Book on “Internal Security of India and Disaster Management”

Books (incl.Biographies - w.e.f.01 jan 2018 ), Community Involvement / Social Issues, Leaders, , , , , ,

WEST BENGAL :

pix: facebook.com/ oxford university press

New Delhi:

His own experience with cracking the Civil Services Examination (CSE) prompted Syed Waquar Raza, a serving IPS officer, to pen a one-stop guide on internal security and disaster management for future aspirants.

In addition, his 14 years in uniform have given him an opportunity to closely study the security challenges about which there a general idea but cannot be delved deeper “in the dust and grime of everyday policing”.

pix: amazon.in

“Internal Security of India and Disaster Management” (Oxford University Press) has been primarily intended for aspirants of the UPSC Civil Services examination, but “any reader interested in the myriad internal security challenges that India faces will find the book useful and instructive”, Raza told IANS in an interview.

However, beyond generalities, he sidestepped a question on the fresh challenges posed by the situation in Afghanistan, saying service rules did not permit him to do so.

Studying the questions from previous years’ examinations showed that the subject required an analytical understanding of the various challenges along with knowledge of current developments.

“My own experiences of working in different capacities at various places of West Bengal such as in LWE-affected areas, bordering districts, and CID gave me the opportunity to observe closely the various aspects of internal security challenges that India faces today.

Also, as a first responder in times of disasters, the nature of policing job provided me with valuable insights in aspects of disaster management,” Raza said.

“Though I have been working as an IPS officer for over 14 years now, the journey of writing a book provided me with an opportunity to closely study various topics related to security challenges, about which we do have a general idea, but would not have got a chance to delve deeper in the dust and grime of everyday policing.

My aim was to write a book covering the internal security and disaster management portions of UPSC Civil Services syllabus that would be a one-stop solution for the aspirants and would relieve them of the necessity to search and sift materials from various sources, including the Internet. I hope my effort will be helpful for the aspirants,” he added.

He expands on this in the Preface.

“Authors often face the dilemma about which chapters to include, what topics to cover in the chapters, how much to include in each topic and what to exclude. I have tried to throw the net wide, so that an aspirant does not have to look for multiple learning resources – available online and offline – but can solely rely on this book for covering virtually all topics related to the internal security challenges that India faces today, as well as the various types of disasters and their management efforts. At the same time, I have tried to provide just the optimum depth of topics so that the aspirant gains the confidence to answer any related question to the examiner’s satisfaction,” Raza writes.

While writing the book, he relied heavily on articles of many security experts and think tanks including IDSA, CLAWS, ORF, etc. He also referred to books such as “India after Gandhi” by Ramchandra Guha, to understand the historical context of many of India’s current security challenges.

“The Internet provides an excellent tool to search, verify and cross-check facts and figures. Government websites such as that of the Ministry of Home Affairs also provide valuable and up-to-date information related to our internal security challenges,” he said during the interview.

Question: Hitherto, Internal Security in India has focused on three broad areas: Terrorism, Secessionism and Maoism. Have the developments in Afghanistan following the US withdrawal added a new dimension to this and how can the Indian state best cope with the challenge?

“Yes, the current developments in Afghanistan have been a cause of concern for India. It has the potential to cause regional instability and a possible spill-over effect in terms of a surge in terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir. China and Pakistan too have been eager to increase their footprints and influence in Afghanistan. However, the UNSC resolution 2593 requires that Afghan territory should not be used for terrorist activities, and it specially refers to UN-proscribed terrorist organisations such as the LeT and the JeM,” Raza said.

“India has been keenly following the current developments in Afghanistan. It seeks a broad-based and inclusive government in Afghanistan. India has helped build over 500 infrastructural projects worth over $3 billion, which has generated tremendous goodwill for India, among the Afghan people. Owing to her historical friendship and ties with the people of Afghanistan, India should continue supporting the common people there with humanitarian assistance,” he added, declining to go further due to service restrictions.

This does not take away from the value of the book, with important key words highlighted in each of its 18 chapters; maps, diagrams and tables included for conceptual clarity, boxes provided for topics of recent relevance; quick revision provided at the end of each chapter; and conceptual videos for each chapter linked by QR code for easy access.

In sum, this book is a must read not only for CSE aspirants but for the general public too.-IANS

source: http://www.muslimmirror.com / Muslim Mirror / Home> Book Review / by IANS / October 08th, 2021